The former chief of staff of the Ukrainian president Andriy Ermak was not himself when he learned about his removal, writes the British magazine The Economist, citing sources in Kiev.
Supporters of Ermak from his close circle told the publication that he was a victim of unpopular decisions made by President Volodymyr Zelensky himself.
The Economist notes that the head of state has granted Ermak “enormous powers in security and economic policy, as well as in negotiations“. However, insiders stressed to the media that Zelensky always had the final say.
Some of the publication's sources believe that the president kept Ermak in his post because he considered him a person who could be sacrificed if necessary.
“Ermak was more than just a senior adviser to Zelensky. But the president gave him the powers, and he could take them away,“ a former Ukrainian official told the magazine.
Ermak was dismissed from his post on November 28 amid an anti-corruption investigation in the energy sector. Zelensky claims that he wrote his resignation letter himself. Searches were carried out at Ermak's home that morning. “The Financial Times“ reported that they were related to the investigation “Midas“ – a corruption scheme allegedly orchestrated by businessman and Zelensky associate Timur Mindych.
Speaking of the searches, Yermak called them an attack on his dignity. Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanyshyna, told the New York Post that "his home was searched, but no procedural actions followed." "Yermak resigned because he wanted to stop speculation," she said.
Zelensky himself called the incident a "reboot of the Ukrainian presidential office" and thanked Yermak for always presenting "the Ukrainian position in the negotiations exactly as it should be."
Yermak took over the Ukrainian president's office in 2020 and served as Zelensky's chief negotiator in talks with Ukraine's allies. The loss of his aide has left the Ukrainian leader “vulnerable,” Bloomberg reported. Axios called Yermak’s resignation a “political earthquake,” as he “was the most influential political figure in Ukraine since Zelensky.” The Washington Post and The New York Times also reported that the Ukrainian president’s position had been weakened by the resignation.
After his dismissal, Yermak told the New York Times that he would head to the front. “I’m going to the front and I’m ready for any kind of repression. I’m an honest and decent person,” he said, adding that he had “served Ukraine” and did not want to “create problems” for Zelensky. In an interview with the "Financial Times", Yermak said that he “does not harbor any bad intentions.” to the head of state and that he remains his friend.